Wildfire

A proposed fuel break system in southwest Idaho, southeast Oregon and northern Nevada will limit the size of destructive rangeland wildfires and protect habitat for sage grouse, say officials with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The agency on Tuesday released a plan called the Tri-State Fuel Break Project, which would create gaps in combustible vegetation along existing roads on public lands in the three states by reducing fuel next to the roads, using either machines or chemical...

A new report says nearly 600,000 homes in Idaho are at some risk of wildfire. The data released Wednesday by real estate data firm CoreLogic shows Idaho ranks 11 th in the number of at-risk homes out of the 13 Western states examined. But when it comes to the nearly 68,000 homes considered at extreme or high risk, Idaho ranks fifth behind only California, Texas, Colorado and Oregon. In Idaho, the potential replacement cost of at-risk homes is just over $171 billion. The report also includes...

A new University of Idaho study says human-caused climate change is the reason more of the forest is burning each year in the West. Researchers at U of I and Columbia University found that, because of climate change, the amount of land burned in Western forest fires has nearly doubled in the last 30 years. They found that climate change has made spring and summer warmer since 1950. That warming has led to dryer conditions in western forests. That means more forest has burned, 16,000 square...

With rain in the forecast, the National Weather Service in Boise is warning of the possibility of flash flooding and mudslides in the 294 square miles burned by the Pioneer Fire. A low pressure system could bring up to a half inch of rain Thursday to parts of the Boise National Forest that were burned by the Pioneer Fire. While that could slow the still-burning blaze down, it could also bring flash flooding. Troy Lindquist is a Service Hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Boise....

The Wildland Fire Leadership Council is meeting for the first time in Boise. The national committee was created in 2002, and includes officials from different national and state firefighting agencies. They meet regularly, often not leaving Washington D.C. Wednesday, the group is getting a chance to see the effects of wildfire in the Great Basin firsthand. Erin Curtis is with the BLM in Idaho, and is helping to organize their field trip to the Elk and Pony Complex burn scars. The wildfire...

The Pioneer Fire grew dramatically this week, shooting its way through the Boise National Forest. In just two days, it burned more than 70 square miles. So far it has burned 281 square miles. Despite more than 1,000 people working the fire, it's only 52 percent contained. And officials say it won't be under control until a major rain or snow event, probably sometime in October. Why is it burning so fast? And so much? And why can't firefighters surround it? This video, from the Boise National...

KBSX reporter Frankie Barnhill visited base camp at the Pioneer Fire on Aug. 27 to profile Type 1 Incident Commander Beth Lund. Adam Cotterell asks her about the experience, including what's up with the women's only porta potties, what to eat at fire camp, and how to earn "trail cred" in wildland firefighting. Since this podcast was recorded Sept. 1, the wildfire has grown to 281 square miles , and has forced the closure of Deadwood Reservoir over Labor Day weekend, a popular recreation site...

Beth Lund starts her day long before most people are done dreaming. At 5 a.m., she’s out of her tent – coffee in hand – getting ready for a 6:00 a.m. briefing with her team at fire camp in Idaho City. Over the hum of generators, Lund takes the microphone on a wooden platform and addresses about 50 firefighters. “Well, good morning," Lund says. "I see the group out here’s dwindling a little bit. So I think that’s a sign that some of this stuff on the southern end is getting wrapped up.” She...

Last year’s massive Soda Fire burned more than 400 square miles of rangeland in southwest Idaho and eastern Oregon. That includes the food source for the area's three wild horse herds. When the Bureau of Land Management, which manages the Wild Horse and Burro Program , realized the horses were in peril, they rescued 279 animals last August. The future of the Soda Fire horses is a microcosm of the larger issue of wild horses in the West. We decided to follow one Soda Fire horse to understand...

Three U.S. Senators were in Boise Monday to restate their support of legislation that would overhaul the way the nation pays for its biggest wildfires. Senators Mike Crapo , R-ID, Jim Risch , R-ID, and Ron Wyden , D-OR, visited the National Interagency Fire Center for the third time in support of the proposal. They want to use federal emergency money to pay for catastrophic fires - similar to the way damage from floods, earthquakes and hurricanes gets paid for. That, supporters argue, would...

When fire activity goes up, MAFFS (Modular Airborne Firefighting Systems) go into action. Right now, two DoD C-130 planes, equipped with this unique fire suppression system, are flying out of Boise. The planes were called up by the National Interagency Fire Center. You may have seen the giant planes launching over Boise or video from an air drop over a wildfire. We found video of another side of MAFFS: Cleaning out the pipes before bringing on another load of retardant. So, what's it like...

Update Monday at 8:02 a.m.: An evacuation notice for the town of Lowman that was downgraded yesterday has been raised back up. The Boise County Sheriff yesterday evening re-implemented a level two evacuation for Lowman after having lowered it to a level one one earlier in the day. Level two is still a voluntary evacuation. The heightened alert comes after winds pushed the Pioneer fire further north. Update Sunday at 2:00 p.m.: The Boise National Fores t reports evacuation levels for Lowman...

As hot and dry summer weather continues, land officials hope expanded Stage 1 fire restrictions will keep new human-caused wildfires to a minimum. Parts of Twins Falls, Blaine, Camas and Cassia counties will be affected. Campfires must be within designated campground or other recreation sites, and outdoor smoking will also be limited. Stage one restrictions went into effect in southwestern Idaho on Monday. According to the National Interagency Fire Center , the number of acres burned by...

The Pioneer fire. a southwest Idaho wildfire burning timber in rugged terrain, on Thursday crossed a state highway fire officials had hoped to use as a firebreak. Officials say the 20-square-mile blaze burning west to east crossed State Highway 21 about 5 miles south of Lowman. About 23 miles of the highway are closed from north of Idaho City to south of Lowman. Fire spokeswoman Susan Blake says ground crews and engines are responding to the area east of the highway where the fire crossed....

A brush fire near a housing development in Eagle was attacked quickly by firefighters earlier this week. They were able to battle the spark in part because of fire preventive measures taken by the developers who built the Avimor neighborhood. Located off Highway 55 at the base of the foothills, Avimor is one of 22 Firewise Idaho communities. Firewise is a kind of certification given to neighborhoods in the wildland-urban interface that take preventive wildfire measures. According to Avimor...

Attempts by 900 firefighters backed by aircraft to halt the spread of a wildfire burning in rugged terrain in southwest Idaho have been unsuccessful with the blaze doubling to 14 square miles in size on Wednesday. Officials say they've expanded a closure in the Boise National Forest and also started contingency plans to use State Highway 21 as a firebreak. About 23 miles of the highway are closed from north of Idaho City to south of Lowman as firefighters remove trees and brush to reduce the...

Officials closed a portion of State Highway 21 in both directions in southwest Idaho on Tuesday due to a 7-square-mile wildfire burning trees, brush and grass in rugged terrain. Fire managers gave no timeline for when the highway might reopen as some 850 firefighters backed by aircraft work on fire lines to contain the blaze that started July 18. The highway is closed from east of Idaho City to north of Lowman as firefighters prep the area for defensive operations. The highway is a well...

Federal authorities say they've launched the first national system intended to prevent hobby drones from interfering with planes and helicopters fighting wildfires. The U.S. Interior Department announced the kickoff of the pilot project Monday. It uses smartphone apps already on the market to quickly alert drone fliers to temporary flight restrictions over wildfires. Officials say drones colliding with firefighting aircraft could be catastrophic. Planes and helicopters have been grounded...

Wildlife habitat managers say it’s essential that the area burned by the Table Rock fire in the Boise foothills be restored to prevent invasive species from taking over. The City of Boise already has $100,000 from the Zoo Boise conservation fund for habitat rehabilitation in the burn scar. But the city has very little expertise rehabbing land. A 70-acre fire in the foothills last summer, for example, was mostly on BLM land and the federal agency did most of the restoration work. The Idaho...